Partners in Success: Kayln D. Discusses Allied Members With IAVM

Kayln Denniston—one of our Client Success Managers—was featured as a guest author for a “Ask the Allieds” online piece, published by the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM)! The original article on IAVM’s website can be found here.

Alliance – noun – a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve a common purpose.

The term “ally” or “alliance” is not coincidental when it comes to describing the role of an “Allied Member” of IAVM.

As an Allied Member, I am humbled by the opportunity to listen to the needs of venue professionals daily, to better understand how to serve them well. Every initial launch call, every onsite training, every annual run-in on the VenueConnect trade show floor is another chance to learn how we can help our clients achieve success. So when I think about where we Allied Members “fit” within this industry and in the venues we work with, I think of it as an alliance — a partnership.

I’m urging venue professionals and allied members to think of each other as just that: partners. In a partnership, we celebrate victories and ride waves of turbulence together. Whether it’s a multimillion -dollar expansion, a major management change, or hosting a historic event, there are so many moving pieces and definitions of success. As our industry continues to innovate, shift focus, and create new initiatives, success will look different for every venue. To achieve it, we must lean on each other’s strengths, ask questions, and hold each other accountable. Allied Members must supplement and serve the same vision and mission that you, our venue partners, have.

When venues succeed, we succeed!

I’ve always felt a strong sense of pride in my role as a venue partner and what I bring to the table. I have a responsibility to contribute to your success. We’re not called “vendor members” for a reason! It’s a mutually beneficial relationship—one that doesn’t cease at the transaction. My coworkers and I wholeheartedly agree that we learn every day from the challenges venue managers face and the feedback that is shared with us. You can trust that we are invested in dissecting that feedback to foster a deeper level of understanding of your business, your teams, and what it means to be the “boots on the ground.” This requires each party to invest in the partnership—the mutually beneficial relationship—and check-in throughout the year as success may re-shape or morph into new possibilities. As your business evolves, it is imperative that ours does as well so that we can go above and beyond in meeting your needs. The more you can share with us what is (or isn’t!) working, the stronger this team can be.

My hope for any IAVM member is that they begin to see the Allied Member role as a true ally in every sense of the word.

Allied Members are not synonymous with “vendor,” and I value the intentions of IAVM in highlighting the definition of the relationship. While the intimate knowledge of operating a venue lies with the venue manager, the Allied Members are here to serve them—providing the relevant expertise and products that will elevate the venue toward our common goal of success. And along the way, we Allied Members gain too—but not just from a business standpoint. We learn, grow, and often make friends. It’s a true win-win alliance.

Kayln Denniston is a Client Success Manager at EventBooking, where she has served venue professionals for over 5 years. In addition to her IAVM membership, she also serves on the IAVM Allied Committee.